TRAVELING ALONE, PART 5—Getting Through Security, or Not... Traveling by air has changed a lot over the years. It is harder. Much, much harder. There are more rules, and everything can take a lot longer. This blog is not about comfort (like how crowded the seats are now). It is about security. Security is good. I have no complaints, but I have a lot of stories. When I travel, I have come to expect to be stopped going through Security. Always. However, that has taught me a lot, so here I will…

TRAVELING ALONE, PART 4—How Not to Fall into a Venetian Canal, Or A Cautionary Tale First, a bit of background: In 2014 I travelled with a group of artists to Italy—Cinque Terre, Florence, and eventually, Venice. The group went home from Florence, while my good friend and painting pal extraordinaire Benda Bickerstaff-Stanley and I went on the Venice to sketch and paint. To visit Cinque Terre (“Five Lands”), many groups stay in La Spezia, which is just a 5 minute train ride away, and has …

Traveling Alone, Part 3— MY Credit Card(s) Won’t Work, Money for a Hotel, and a 'Bit' More about Phones… When I arrived in Katwijk, the first thing I needed to do was purchase a shopping trolley to carry my painting equipment down to the beach (a covered vertical grocery cart). Normally I would have brought one, but it would have taken up too much room). The owner of the B and B found a local store (Blokker) very close by that carried them, but when I tried to pay with any of my cards, the…

Traveling Alone, Part 2: Losing Your Wallet, Credit Card Companies, AND PHONES… Yes, I lost my wallet, the last day in Amsterdam this past April. Less than 24 hours before I headed home. I loved that wallet. It was turquoise, had a place for everything I needed, was not TOO large, could be used as a clutch purse if necessary. AND it have RFID (Radio Frequency ID) chip blockers . Too bad I didn’t use that cute little strap that came with it… Here is the story, what I did, and how it was not…

I want my blog postings to be about two things I know something about: art, and travel. I like to travel, I enjoy traveling alone, I travel to experience the new and different. Many people have described me as ‘brave’, because I travel by myself. I don’t think of myself as brave, I think of myself as prepared. So what do I do to prepare for a trip, to hedge my bets on being safe and enjoying my trip? Quite a few things, actually. Some are good for all travellers; some are more important for…